Giving Up Gio
by wired2damoon
Summary: I just won't see him anymore, Betty promised. Did she just say that she wouldn't see Gio anymore? She couldn't have! Oh, but she did! But he's just the sandwich guy, it can't be that hard not to see him? RIGHT? Wow this was going to be tough! Betty/Gio!
1. The Promise

**Giving Up Gio**

**By wired2damoon**

**Chapter 1: The Promise**

**A/N: Well here it is! My first Gio/Betty! This is a ship I've been dying to write so I hope you all enjoy! I just love the on-screen chemistry between these two and hope I do them justice! This first chap is just mainly a prologue (most of my chapters tend to be much longer so don't be put off by the shortness) I hope to update frequently but please understand I have exams starting and continuing until early-mid February so an update will be difficult until then! Okay I've done enough rambling now! So I'll leave you with two things, first enjoy and second a disclaimer:**

**Disclaimer: All Ugly Betty material belongs to ABC, Silvio Horta and the producers. None of it belongs to me! Because trust me if it did, Gio would so be my sandwich boy…sigh…I'm sad now… L**

"I just won't see him anymore".

'_Oh. My. God. Betty! What the hell are you doing? '_

The words had escaped her mouth before she could even register what had happened.

Now Henry was speaking again but his words went straight over Betty's head. She caught pieces of his mumblings… something to do with chicken salad and love? She said the only intelligible thing that came to mind.

"Yeah. But I love you more". Henry's face broke into a smile as he leaned forward to kiss her lips gently. As they broke apart Betty's fuzzy mind acted up.

"You will learn how to make chicken salad though, won't you?" she asked, looking deeply into his hazel eyes, trying to convince herself that that was all she would miss about Giovanni Rossi.

Henry just grinned and silently nodded his head.

'_Phew well at least I don't have to worry about that, _Betty thought, _now…about this not seeing Gio ever again?_

_Oh crap…'_

_------_

It had been a whole three days since Henry and his band played.

A whole three days since Betty made her promise.

A whole three days since Betty saw Gio.

Giovanni Rossi was never a man to be anxious, it just wasn't his style. Even when he got a call from the police in the middle of the night informing him that some lunatic threw a trash can through his window, breaking the very expensive glass, did he break into a sweat, not once.

But now, oh now, was a whole different story!

It had been an agonising three (nearly four) days since Gio last set his sights on Betty Suarez. For some odd reason when Monday came around she didn't venture down to his Deli at lunch time and order her usual chicken salad with extra sun-dried tomatoes. Or on Tuesday. Today, was now Wednesday and nearing lunch-time.

Gio glanced up at his glass door every two minutes. Feeling stupider every time he was greeted by an unfamiliar face and not the round-rimmed glasses or metallic braces that graced that beautiful face.

"Mi ragazzo, you've been sweeping that same spot for ten minutes! Why you keep lookin' at that door eh?" asked his uncle Alonzo impatiently as he stood with his hands on his hips, his thick Italian accent floating to Gio and awakening him from his reverie.

"No ragione zio" Gio replied, assuring his uncle that he had nothing to hide, shaking his head vigorously and willing for Betty Suarez's face to stop floating around his brain, mocking him like a big, beautiful cloud.

'_Big, beautiful cloud? Aye, since when I am poetic?' _Gio wondered silently, rolling his eyes at his ridiculousness.

"Ummm humm", came Alonzo's suspicious reply.

"And would this 'no reason' be that Betty girl that comes in here all sunshine and lollypops every morning eh?" he pressed, seeing that his nephew's head snapped up to greet him at the mention of her name.

"Ah mio…you have it molto forte!" the loving Uncle continued, rounding his way out from behind the counter and towards Gio, clapping him on the shoulder affectionately.

Gio couldn't help but blush slightly at his Uncle's words. Yes, it was true. He did have it bad for the lovable Suarez sister, Betty that is.

'_Damn! What is happening to me!?' _Gio asked himself.

Just because he finally admitted (after some guidance from his love's sister) that he had a thing for her didn't mean he had to like it, not one bit!

She had a boyfriend after all.

Stupid Egg…Henry…

"Ah do I see you blushing Giovanni?" he uncle continued, thoroughly enjoying himself now as his pinched Gio's cheeks teasingly.

"Argh! Uncle! Fuori!" Gio spat, getting severely pissed by Alonzo's joking. He turned away and starting cleaning off the tables, muttering to himself.

Alonzo Rossi laughed heartily at his brother's son's behaviour. Oh yes, he had it bad for this "Betty" that was for sure!

Gio sighed and glanced up at the door one last time.

'_Was hasn't she been in to see me?' _He thought bitterly, and unfortunately that was the only thought that occupied his mind throughout the whole day, right up until closing time, and all through the night as he lay awake staring up at his ceiling in his lonely, petite apartment.

**A/N: Well what do ya think?? Just to let ya know, I don't speak Italian. Spanish yes, but Italian no. I got my words from the dictionary so hopefully I used the right tenses/situations etc. properly. If anyone speaks Italian please feel free to correct me if there are any mistakes. Hope you enjoyed the prologue!!**


	2. Goodbyes And BLTs

**Giving Up Gio**

**By wired2damoon**

**Chapter 2: Goodbyes and BLTs**

**A/N: Thankies to all who reviewed, it means so much to me!! Okay, here's chapter 2!! **

"A taco?"

"No…"

"A baguette with that weird salad dressing that smells like rank banana?"

"Nah, not today and I happen to like that salad dressing".

"Italian?"

"Oh yeah Italian! Oh no wait, that place DeLauro's closed down last week…"

"Well I don't know Daniel! You're going to have to make up your mind what you want, I'm not a mind-reader!" Betty Suarez Assistant to the notorious Editor-In-Chief of Mode Magazine Daniel Meade huffed exasperatedly at his indecisiveness.

"Oh! I got it! That great BLT from Gio's! I can't believe I forgot about that, oh and make sure he puts on extra mustard Betty, god that mustard is amazing", Daniel replied, almost licking his lips as he thought about his upcoming lunch.

Betty's eyes widened. '_Oh god, did he say Gio?'_

"Uh…are you sure you want a sandwich from Gio's? I mean I could always skip across town in the company car and get you that exotic pasta you liked once…" she mumbled nervously, swirling a lock of her hair around her finger.

Daniel frowned at her. "Of course, c'mon Betty, you know when I get an idea in my head I can't get it out and my idea is that I want Gio's BLT!" (A/N: Okay am I they only one that thinks that can be thought of as something entirely different? Should I change it? Lol)

"Okay, okay touchy, touchy! I'll get you your stupid sandwich! There's no need to throw a tantrum Mr Meade", Betty replied as if trying to remind him of his age.

"Sorry Betty, I'm just REALLY hungry…"

Betty nodded and turned to leave, very, very slowly.

"Uh, Betty?"

She whipped back around like a bolt of lightening, she wanted any excuse to delay the inevitable.

"Yes Daniel?"

"Why are you so hesitant to go to Gio's?"

Damn! Why was her boss choosing now to be their friends-bonding-by-talking-to-each-other-moment?

"Uh…no reason, I-I'll be back with your sandwich in a jiffy!" she replied hurriedly, whilst practically racing out of the room, around the corner and out of sight.

Daniel's eyebrows raised as he watched his assistant leave. _Yep, it was just as he thought, there was definitely something going on…_

----

Betty took several deep breaths. _Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale…_

It didn't work. Not even in the slightest.

It did not stop her heart from racing a mile a minute. It did not stop her palms from sweating. It did not stop her mouth from going dry and her legs turning to jelly.

Oh no. All it did do, was make her inhale, cough and splutter as she was snapped out of reverie (of staring at Gio through the glass door) by a waving, ecstatic looking sandwich-maker.

"There she is! The eater!" Gio yelled happily as Betty pushed open his door and walked hastily to the counter.

_She just hoped beyond hope that her caring, loving, wonderful boyfriend would understand that she had to do this. Had to. Not wanted to. Not even a little bit. Not even to see Gio's muscles rippling through his tight grey t-shirt…_

'_Woah Betty! Focus! You love Henry, HENRY! And you're to stop this madness once and for all! This is it, when he finishes making the sandwich, you will explain everything to Gio! EVERYTHING!!!_

"Uh hi Gio…just, just Daniel's usual BLT today please, oh and extra mustard", Betty spoke, her voice slightly raspy and nervous.

Gio frowned. Well that certainly did not sound like the Betty Suarez he knew!

"Nothing for yourself then?" he asked timidly, wanting to spend as much time conversing with her as possible, to figure out what was wrong with her of course, not just to spend time with her…

'_Liar'… _the little voice (sounding oddly like Hilda) hissed at the back of his mind.

"No not today thanks. I…I went to this new place up town with Henry, it has this great cheese sub…", she mumbled in reply her voice trailing off slightly, her gaze not meeting his, once.

Gio's frown deepened at her words. _'She went to another sandwich-place?'_

"Oh…right…so uh, you haven't been in much this week. Has this place Egg…uh, Henry been taking to you that much better?" he asked, not intending to sound as harsh and bitter as he did.

Betty seemed taken aback by his words. She watched him silently wrapping up her boss' lunch before replying, "no, no, its just Henry wanted to try something new".

Gio nodded and practically shoved the sandwich into her hands (trying to make sure their fingers grazed for a few moments of course but sadly was unsuccessful) and began ringing up his till almost angrily.

"So Egg-Salad decided to be adventurous huh?" he asked, his fake curiosity extremely transparent.

"What's that supposed to mean? And I thought you said you wouldn't call him that anymore?" Betty spat, obviously highly offended and irritated at his behaviour and immediately jumping to her love's rescue.

"Nothing, nothing. Its just that its like I said, Eggy could do with a little fire in his gut ya know? Glad to see he's being…" Gio paused searching for the appropriate word and suddenly snorted to himself "…spontaneous by bringing you out to lunch!"

"DON'T call him Eggy! Henry is spontaneous! Why just last week he- he-"

"-He what? Rented the whole series of House so you could play doctors and nurses?" Gio asked, knowing well that Henry would never play sex-games.

Betty blushed deeply at the sudden image of dressing up as a nurse before replying, "gross! No! He bought me the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD and a chocolate maker to go with it, so we can watch the movie and make our own chocolate", she stated proudly but felt extremely stupid as she heard the words leave her mouth.

Gio's face cracked into a broad, mocking smile. "Oh yeah…real spontaneous. Sexy."

"Shut up!" Betty was getting really annoyed at him now, her nostrils were even starting to flare.

Gio just stared at her, in her cute (weird, but cute) outfit, hands on her hips, cheeks flaring a scarlet red, jaw set and her dark, chocolate eyes boring into his, and decided right then as they both stared into each other's eyes, neither willing to look away first that he was completely and utterly in love with this woman.

"That's $3.85", he replied holding out his hand for her cash and breaking the intense staring and silence between them.

Betty just rolled her eyes (willing her heart to stop pumping so fast) and reached out to hand him the money.

This time their two hands did meet. Suddenly Gio felt as if a bolt of electricity went shooting up his left arm as he heard Betty gasp and her alarmed expression clearly visible.

She yanked her hand back hurriedly (too hurriedly in Gio's opinion) as she spluttered "what the hell was that?"

Gio took a deep breath and looked at the money in his hand. With his head still bowed he said, "sometimes people can conduct electricity and shock one another…sorry…" and he knew he truly meant it, he was sorry, for everything.

Betty frowned when he saw him. _'Wow…this was going to be so much harder then I thought…'_

"Gio I-I…I can't see you anymore", Betty half yelled rather quickly towards the end, as if speeding it up was going to make it any less harder.

Gio's eyebrows raised as he let her words sink in.

"W-What?" he managed to croak out, instantly fearing the worst.

"I…I'm sorry. I just, we just- uh…" Betty spluttered, truly not knowing how to continue.

"Henry put you up to this didn't he?" Gio spat, his blood boiling as he realised the situation.

"N-No, it was me, I-it was my suggestion-"

"-What? It was your suggestion to stop seeing me?"

"Uh-"

"Oh…I see…" Gio muttered slowly, nodding as if he suddenly understood everything.

"Eggy was getting a little intimated so he wanted to stop his girl seeing the competition", he finished, half-smirking and half-frowning at his own words.

Betty stood dumbfounded, not knowing were to begin in correcting him.

"First of all I'm not 'his girl' I'm my own woman! And secondly what competition?" she asked, the adrenaline pumping in her veins, her breath hitched as she waited desperately for the response.

Well, Gio was now utterly speechless.

Was this girl that dense? No…Betty was a smart girl, just a little silly when it came to matters of the heart, especially if they involve her, not to mention extremely insecure.

Gio rolled his eyes to the ceiling, suddenly realising it was a lost cause. She was happy with her Egg-Man and he really wasn't prepared to proclaim his undying love to her right here, right now in the middle of his deli where (he now only realised) were about ten customers goggling at them with interest.

"Look, forget it alright? Go on and let your Eggy tell you what to do, boss you around, whatever, I don't care anymore. You were more then willing to suggest that you get rid of me so why should I disrespect your wishes?" he asked bitterly, suddenly striding out from behind the counter and towards the front door, holding it wide open for her.

"Gio! I-I didn't mean-"

"Oh I know well what you mean Betty. You want ME out of the picture so your little boring boyfriend won't be intimated by someone that actually knows how to live life! So you VOLUNTEERED to SHOVE me out of YOUR life to put a stop to any awkwardness that DEAR Henry might suffer! Oh yeah Suarez, I understand PERFECTLY!!!" Gio spat, willing for his voice not to raise, but in places could not prevent it.

"So I'll make this easy for you", Gio continued, his voice dangerously soft, the slight trace of sadness and hurt evident throughout "goodbye Betty", he finished, motioning to the open door.

Betty's heart stopped. _'Oh no, no, no!'_

"Gio-I-I'm sorry…" she sobbed '_(wait when did I start crying?)' _"I just…"

She was at a loss for words. Tears just rolled down her face as she stared at the extremely hurt sandwich maker who was refusing to look at her.

"…I'm…sorry…" was the last thing she mumbled before taking a deep breath and walking with her head hung low out of the store and down the street out of sight.

Gio's eyes snapped shut as he slammed the door behind her. The glass quivering dangerously.

Completely ignoring the gob-smacked customers he stormed in behind the counter and into the staff room, nearly colliding with his uncle on the way out.

"Woah, woah, woah where's the fire eh?" he asked as his nephew nearly knocked him down.

"I'm going on my break! Cover for me", Gio snapped before throwing off his apron, grabbing his jacket and racing out the back door, slamming it roughly behind him.

Alonzo Rossi sighed. "What the hell was that?" he asked himself although he thought he knew the answer already…

_Young-love. Always so heart-breaking…_

_**A/N: Okay, okay. Don't kill me, please! Everything will work out eventually just keep telling yourself that! It is a Gio/Betty fic after all! Grr I just hated Henry so much after "A Thousand Words By Friday" I mean practically telling Betty she couldn't see Gio anymore?? Ahh!! So…there ya have it! I hope everyone thought that was ok, please if you have the time let me know by reviewing! Thankies! **_

_**-wired2damoon-**_


	3. Forming Plans, Growing Up and Moving On

**Giving Up Gio**

**By wired2damoon**

**Chapter 3: Forming Plans, Growing Up and Moving On**

**A/N: I'M FINISHED MY MOCK EXAMS!! YAY!! Hehe sorry I'm just really excited! Thankies so much to all who has reviewed so far. It really means the world to me!! Okay, here's chapter 3, enjoy!! -wired2damoon- **

**Oh and sorry if Gio is too angsty in this chapter, but I really want to convey the hurt that he keeps bottled up, ya know, for suspense and dramatic purposes…**

"Ay Betty, you didn't!" yelled an aggravated Hilda Suarez at her younger sister as they sat on her bed talking.

"Yeah I did. I just don't understand why it was so hard. I mean one minute I was fine, just being abrupt and final and the next minute I'm crying like a baby…" Betty Suarez trailed off, picking absentmindedly at her Ariel bedspread as her sister folded her arms and frowned at her.

"Betty! Of course you know why you were upset. Ay mi hermana you are so oblivious sometimes…" she finished rolling her eyes towards the ceiling.

At Betty's obvious look of confusion Hilda began to elaborate.

"Betty, you were upset because you care about Gio…he means something to you, he's your friend", she mumbled, not wanting to fully tell her the truth, that was something she had to find out for herself.

Betty nodded, but was trying not to process this information. She did not want to think of Gio as a friend, or think that she cared about him. It would just make this situation a whole lot harder. He was just the sandwich guy, yeah that's it, Gio the sandwich guy.

"I don't know Hilda, I mean I think it's for the best. He's not that great of a friend and it's not like I'll be missing out…yeah I mean I do feel pretty bad for how I said it to him, it was rude and insensitive and I do apologize for that but it's still for the best", Betty replied, her voice raising slightly as she tried to put a trace of finality into her tone.

Hilda merely nodded, knowing fully well that her sister was more trying to convince herself that what she was saying was true and not her.

Neither of them mentioned Henry at all throughout the conversation. Hilda thought it was absolutely horrendous of Henry to practically order Betty to stop seeing Gio, but that was a conversation for another time, she was just glad her sister told her.

"Just get some sleep alright Betty? Try not to think about it too much, I know you feel bad and all but just let it go for now", Hilda cooed as much as it killed her to say it.

Betty smiled gratefully at her older sister. She really was a blessing sometimes.

"Thanks Hilda…you're the best", she grinned as her sister tightly hugged her.

"Ay I know, what would you do without me eh?" the older Suarez sister laughed as she began to exit her room.

Betty reached over and turned off her bedside light, closing her eyes immediately.

Hilda paused at the door and glanced back at her little sister's form.

Betty was making a big mistake that much Hilda knew. And as God and all of Queens as her witness, Hilda Suarez was going to do everything in her power to make Betty realise who really was the one for her…Giovanni Rossi…

----

"Stupid…mother-of…ah HELL", yelled Giovanni Rossi as he stumbled around his sitting room, trying desperately in vain to pull his t-shirt over his head (and it getting very stuck below his chin).

The loud music that cascaded out of his stereo speakers drowned out his yells of anguish however by which he was eternally grateful, all he needed was Mrs Baker from across the hall to come over and question his odd, frantic noises in the middle of the night.

He knew it probably wasn't the best idea for him to have his music so loud, but right now he didn't care.

With one last merciful tug, a loud groan and a stumble backwards Gio had successfully removed his t-shirt, revealing a toned, tanned torso and skin that glistened complementarily in the soft lighting. (A/N: Lol that's for you Beatrice!!)

With no female present however Gio did not see the point of showing off, after all here he was, all alone in his tiny apartment, drunk as a skunk, feeling sorry for himself.

Sighing deeply he plopped down onto his couch and let the banging music drill into his skull and form the beginnings of the mother-of-all-headaches so that he could forget, forget where he was, who he was, and forget who had stolen his heart, Betty Suarez…

Even in his drunken state, his eyes rolling towards the ceiling and closing gently, his mouth hanging slightly open, he managed to form thoughts of her.

Betty. Betty Suarez. Betty eating his sandwiches. Betty's 900 watt smile gleaming against the rays of the sun. Betty's cute little frown line she gets between her eyes when she's confused. Betty's hands on her hips, her nostrils flaring when she was mad, mainly at him. Betty's arms enveloping him tightly into her embrace when she was drugged up and her soft, tender hug after Claire Meade had been released. Betty's beautiful cocoa eyes glistening with tears as she explained that she could not see him anymore. Betty walking away from him in the arms of Mr Egg Salad, grinning madly to herself…

Gio's eyes suddenly snapped open irritably as he jumped up from the couch, (immediately regretting it as his head began to spin) steadying himself and raced towards his bedroom.

There was no way he was going to allow himself to get crushed by Betty Freaking Suarez. He wasn't going to be that guy, that guy that mulled over wanting what he can't have, no, he was going to be who he always was, before he ever heard of…her…

Making a snap decision he stumbled over to his bedside table, wrenched open the drawer and pulled out various pieces of paper, beer mats and the back of a coupon.

His dark, hazel eyes squinted down at the paper, letting the names and numbers wash over him.

Yeah, he was through with being that guy. Done. Terminado. Finito.

Taking a deep breath, he carefully leafed through the paper until a name jumped out at him. Cindy.

Yeah, Cindy sounded like the type of person he could move on with.

He remembered her from the bar, he had worked the Phil Roth method perfectly and she was putty in his hands. A hot, little blonde, with an infectious laugh and a good sense of humour (after all how could she not when Gio accused her DD boobs of being fake?)

Taking one last deep breath Gio steadied himself, psyching himself up for what he was about to do.

Clasping his phone tightly with his fingers and pressing the buttons with his thumb he began to dial her number.

All he had to was keep his cool. Just keep his cool and everything would be fine.

'_Thank God I'm drunk, or I'd never had the balls to go through with this' _he thought to himself as he heard the dial tone.

Gripping the edge of the bed with his free hand, he waited for the girl that was about to make him forget all about Betty Suarez anxiously.

"Hello", a sweet, sleek voice answered.

Gio's heart rate quickened slightly before he smacked himself on the forehead, truly irritated with himself.

"Hey Cindy…it's Gio…" he replied suavely, grinning like a maniac as she began to express her delight of hearing from him.

He began to talk adamantly with the hot blonde and as he finalised their date he thought to himself, _'Oh yeah it's time to move on Gio my man. Time to grow up and move on. And this is the perfect person to help you do that, not Betty Suarez…no matter how much you want her to be…"_

**A/N: What is Hilda planning? Will Betty be able to keep her promise to Henry and not see Gio? And who's this mystery date Gio has all lined up? Stay turned for the next instalment of "Giving Up Gio".**

**Lol I sound like the ending of a cheesy sitcom. Ha! Seriously though, I'd love to hear what you guys thought. Just give the cute purple button a click and away ya go!! Lol!! Thankies again to everyone who's reviewed, it really does mean so much!! -wired2damoon-**


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